Five Treatises of the Philosophers Stone is an interesting book containing a variety of writings on this topic featuring five different authors throughout time. Pinell presents a strong balance of viewpoints from the sceptic to the believer. Giving full credit to the powerful lure of one of the oldest fields of science, this book attempts to explain the logic and science behind the pursuit of the philosopher's stone.

For the novice, the philosopher's stone is an object from the study of alchemy. Using alchemy, one supposedly can take any material and turn it into gold or silver. This mystical form of chemistry has never been proven possible but that doesn't keep individuals from exploring the ideas behind alchemy and reveling in the legends that surround it. One such legend is that of the philosopher's stone. This stone is said to be able to both mutate any material into gold or silver and also cure any known disease. In addition to curing disease this stone would also allow its possessor immunity to anything, including death.

The legend of the stone has permeated through history, and the five treatises in this book explore the legend and the beliefs that surround it. In discussing the possibility of this stone being more than just a legend, it's argued that the stone has not yet been obtained by man because the powers within it would make him a god and God is not ready to allow man to have such power. Exploring the idea of the philosopher's stone and the mythology that surrounds it is only that much more interesting when reading about it from the viewpoint of individuals throughout history. This book takes a different view on this legend and can be very intriguing to the interested reader.